Eldridge enters race for Congress

Investor ends months of hints that he may take on Chris Gibson

By Jimmy Vielkind

Updated 9:46 pm, Monday, September 23, 2013

Photo: DANNY GHITIS

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Chris Hughes, Facebook co-founder, right, and his husband Sean Eldridge at their home in Garrison, N.Y., July 10, 2013. In January, Eldridge and Hughes, purchased a $2 million home overlooking a reservoir and began laying the groundwork for Eldridge's campaign for their local congressional seat, but despite their wealth, congressional campaigns can be very personal contests. (Danny Ghitis/The New York Times) ORG XMIT: XNYT101 less

Chris Hughes, Facebook co-founder, right, and his husband Sean Eldridge at their home in Garrison, N.Y., July 10, 2013. In January, Eldridge and Hughes, purchased a $2 million home overlooking a reservoir and ... more

Photo: DANNY GHITIS

Eldridge enters race for Congress

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Albany

After several months of quiet groundwork, Democrat Sean Eldridge formally announced late Sunday that he will run for Congress next year.

The 27-year-old investor posted a video to his campaign website offering a brief biography and some generic campaign themes, as well as hints on several lines of attack against Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, who won the seat in 2010.

"I love the Hudson Valley. It's where I'm building my family, my home and my business," Eldridge says in the video. "Right now, the voices of everyday New Yorkers are being drowned out by the special interests and party politics, causing gridlock in Washington."

The race will be instantly competitive because of Eldridge's personal wealth: He married Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes last year, and has already invested $215,000 in his campaign. The 19th District covers the mid-Hudson Valley and Catskills, as well as parts of Rensselaer and Montgomery counties. It contains slightly more enrolled Republicans than Democrats, but also a bloc of unaffiliated swing voters that is nearly as large.

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Republicans began attacking Eldridge months ago, painting him as an out-of-touch carpetbagger. In an interview, the candidate said he would be an "independent voice" who will not accept political contributions from corporate political action committees. In July, a Times Union analysis showed those PACs provided 69 percent of the cash Gibson has raised during this election cycle.

"I think it's a significant issue," said Eldridge. "Obviously, my number-one concern is growing our economy and creating jobs, but I think one of the reasons we're not doing that is because special interests and big corporations are dominating the conversation and the agenda in Washington."

His own contributors include billionaires Jon Stryker and George Soros, as well as tech luminaries like Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. In the video, Eldridge stresses that he went to public schools and cares deeply about the Hudson Valley. He promises to protect Medicare and Social Security against budget cuts, and to oppose natural gas hydrofracking.

Eldridge also touts some of the businesses where his investment fund, Hudson River Ventures, has given loans. He prominently mentions the 3-D printing center at SUNY New Paltz, which he says he "founded."

It's no surprise that Eldridge is entering the race. He has worked to raise his business profile in recent months, and hired a prominent political consulting firm, SKDKnickerbocker. Republicans, sensing his ambition, have already launched a dedicated attack website. Eldridge and Hughes bought a house in the district earlier this year, along the Ashokan Reservoir above Kingston. (They had previously purchased a home closer to Manhattan; it is located in a district now represented by a Democrat.)

Eldridge began chatting up political leaders and appearing at events earlier this year. Over the summer, his campaign paid for a focus group to test attacks against Gibson.

Gibson aide Stephanie Valle said Eldridge's entry was expected. "He's been raising money from wealthy friends while at the same time touting an economic plan that boils down to loaning his potential constituents money," she said. "One thing is clear: This race will test the hypothesis of whether congressional seats can be bought."

Eldridge is the only Democrat seriously exploring a run in the district.